The race for Texas General Land Commissioner features Republican incumbent Dawn Buckingham against Democrat Benjamin Flores. The candidates differ on disaster relief spending and border issues.
Where
Statewide
When
As of Oct. 27, 2026
Sources
One outlet
Taxes and money
None stated in sources.
Who's involved
Dawn BuckinghamRepublican incumbent Texas Land Commissioner
Benjamin FloresDemocrat candidate for Texas Land Commissioner
Jon TaylorUT-San Antonio Political Science Chair
George P. BushFormer Texas Land Commissioner
The facts
The General Land Office manages 13 million acres of state-owned land in Texas.1
Buckingham has overseen a more than half-a-billion-dollar makeover of Alamo grounds in San Antonio.1
Buckingham has held the Land Commissioner office since 2023.1
Flores is a former Bay City councilman and operates a family pig farm in Bay City.1
Biden administration agreed GLO discriminated against communities of color in Hurricane Harvey relief distribution.1
Trump administration cleared Texas of civil rights violations in Hurricane Harvey relief spending earlier this year.1
Buckingham offered 1,400 acres in Starr County for processing and detention facilities after Trump won 2024 election.1
Who said what
These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.
Buckingham The Alamo is her greatest love and exemplifies Texas identity.1
Flores He came to the U.S. in 1996, earned citizenship, and built career in cybersecurity.1
Buckingham Hurricane Harvey relief allegations were politically motivated.1
Flores He will work to get funds back to Hurricane Harvey victims in Houston.1
Where the sources disagree
Whether GLO discriminated against communities of color in Hurricane Harvey relief distribution Biden administration agreed it did [1]; Trump administration cleared Texas of civil rights violations [1]
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
Early voting in Texas ahead of November 3 midterm elections reached nearly 4.5 million ballots in the first seven days, representing 23.4% of registered voters, but voters encountered long waits, isolated touchscreen machine complaints, and registration processing issues.
Michele Carew, Bexar County Elections Administrator
President Donald Trump campaigned in Corpus Christi and Lubbock, Texas on October 27 to support Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton against Democrat James Talarico. This was Trump's third visit to Texas in a month. Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared with Trump to highlight Venezuelan crude oil arriving at Texas refineries.
$at least $158 million for spending on Texas Republican candidates
Donald Trump, President, campaigning for Republican candidates; Ken Paxton, Republican U.S. Senate candidate; James Talarico, Democrat U.S. Senate candidate and 2 more
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows traveled across Texas on a bus tour supporting Republican House candidates. President Donald Trump arrived in Corpus Christi to campaign for Republican candidates as the Texas U.S. Senate race between Ken Paxton and James Talarico continues.
$$7.8 million for spending on Republican House candidates
Dustin Burrows, Texas House Speaker; Donald Trump, President; Lacey Hull, State Representative and 3 more
President Trump held a campaign rally in Corpus Christi on October 27, 2026, where he pointed to a ship carrying Venezuelan oil and suggested making Venezuela the 51st state. He called the 1 million barrel shipment a "gift" from Venezuela and said he would give it to the U.S. to lower fuel costs.
$1 million barrels for venezuelan oil shipment
Donald Trump, President; Ken Paxton, Republican Senate candidate; James Talarico, Democratic Senate candidate
A software error in Texas voter registration logs caused missing addresses for voters who updated records between Sept. 1 and late October. The Secretary of State's office sent 15,000 corrected records to counties and said the problem is resolved. This is the second voter registration issue in weeks.
Texas Secretary of State's office, Reported software error and sent corrected records to counties; Alicia Pierce, Spokesperson for the Secretary of State's office; Texas Department of Public Safety, Earlier software update caused separate voter registration backlog
Gov. Greg Abbott and Democrat Gina Hinojosa each posted their largest campaign fundraising hauls in any reporting period this cycle from Sept. 25 through Oct. 24. Both are campaigning aggressively as the race tightens heading into Election Day.
$$26 million for campaign funds raised
Greg Abbott, Republican governor candidate; Gina Hinojosa, Democratic governor candidate; Elon Musk, Donor to Abbott and 2 more
Texas state Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate against Republican Ken Paxton, held a campaign rally in Lubbock. The event drew scrutiny over his out-of-state billionaire funding while he had criticized Republican funding sources.
James Talarico, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Texas state representative; Ken Paxton, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate; Brooke Taylor, Fox News reporter
Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, raised roughly $748,000 from Sept. 25–Oct. 24. Democrat Jon Rosenthal raised $524,245 in the same period. Combined, they raised $1.3 million, among the highest fundraising totals to date.
$$748,000 for fundraising by Bo French
Bo French, Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner; Jon Rosenthal, Democratic state Rep. and candidate for Texas Railroad Commissioner; Richard Sands, Oil and gas executive for LRG Energy LLC, donor to French and 5 more